License To Chill
by nicolebaka
Summary: Post 3x14-ish. Delena. It's Christmas time and Elena is spending it all alone until she receives a desperate phone call from Sheriff Forbes. A hurt and drunk Damon tries to forget a certain brunette by compelling himself playmates at the Grill and it's up to Elena if she can talk some sense into him. Written for the A2A Holiday Exchange 2015 on LJ.


**A/N: I'm so happy to participate again in the A2A Delena Christmas Exchange! I wasn't sure I will have the time to write one prompt, but I knew I couldn't just miss it this year.**

 **As you can see, I can get a little carried away with one-shots (6k words!), but I hope it's not too crappy and you'll enjoy it. I just got a new beta, Hollie - Thank you for looking it over and correcting my mistakes!**

 _ **Prompt by dope_rev:**_

 _Set after 3x14, the Mikaelson's Ball during which Elena states that Damon's love for her might be the problem._

 _Elena realises that this Christmas is not going to be merry at all as she finds herself alone at home on the 24th until the phone rings and an exhausted Sheriff Forbes begs her to come and pick up a drunk Damon Salvatore, who's compelled half the girls to be his playmates [not sexually, just for entertainment like dancing on the table ;)]._

 _I'd like to see a cocky and tough Damon._

 **I always loved Season3 Delena and I knew I had to write this one. I hope it meets expectations and the length won't scare you away :)**

 **Happy Holidays!**

* * *

She was bored. For the first time since the supernatural entered her life, Elena Gilbert didn't know what to do with herself. She was alone, had already cleaned every corner of the house, and put on the remaining decorations from the boxes that were labeled as 'Christmas'.

Now, sitting in the kitchen with her cell phone a permanent fixture in her hand, she couldn't help but gaze around her surroundings with discontent. She was all alone on Christmas Eve; the sound of the clock ticking was her only company. She heavily wondered whether it was worth calling him for the umpteenth time, only to be greeted by his voice mail again, or simply wait for him to come around. Which was highly unlikely, seeing it was Damon who we were talking about.

She sighed and put down the device on the counter instead, deciding not to be even more pathetic than she already felt she was. She still felt a little embarrassed and hurt from this morning when she attempted to apologize to Damon, only to be greeted by his half naked form and the Original sister who was about to start her walk of shame.

She knew Damon well enough to know it was him lashing out at her, even if he claimed it had nothing to do with her. Elena had learned through the years how easy it was to hurt his feelings, no matter how tough he tried to act around people. It was hard enough for him to let his guard down around her, and when he did, she turned the tables on him. He trusted her enough to express his feeling for her and she threw his love back in his face.

Speak when you are angry and you will have words coming out of your mouths that you will definitely regret. _Maybe that's the problem._ Of course, she didn't mean them, but that didn't stop him from shutting down completely and reverting to his reckless mode. Him 'killing' Kol shouldn't even have surprised her. If there was one thing that she had learned, it was that little changes could have big consequences. It was absolutely proven to be true when it came to Damon.

Elena rolled her eyes and shook her head, thinking about what went down yesterday was futile. Instead, she stood up from her seat and walked back to the living room, collapsing onto the couch with an exasperated sigh. There was a really good chance she was a zombie right now. At least, she felt that way.

Looking around the festively decorated room, watching as the different color lights danced around her, a sense of melancholy came over her. Christmas used to be one of her favorite times of the year. Along with Thanksgiving, it was her favorite holiday. It was finally a time when she could be with all of her family and friends.

When she was little, she had this idea that life could be perfect. That if she was careful enough, she would never make a mistake, never be lonely, never be frightened, but it doesn't work that way. Life was big and messy, and people just have to climb in it with their boots on and hope for the best.

But things had changed since that fateful night on Wickery Bridge. Her parents died and even though she still had Jeremy and Jenna, Christmas time wasn't the same without the people who had raised her. And after her aunt's death, this time of the year was soon forgotten. She couldn't bring herself to celebrate something that was supposed to bring the family together when she didn't even have one. Of course, Caroline and Bonnie offered to celebrate together, but she knew it would be selfish of her to tear them away from their family. Bonnie was finally able to spend some quality time with her mother, whom she hadn't seen since she was three, and Caroline needed to bond with Liz after the tumultuous events of this year. So she politely declined their invite and decided to stay at home instead. She even managed to convince Alaric to go on a holiday trip with Meredith to her parents. He needed to get away from Mystic Falls for a while and Elena knew it was the perfect opportunity.

The ringing of her phone shook her out of her thoughts, hope rising in her chest that it was a certain somebody calling her. She ran back to the kitchen to pick up her phone she left on the counter and without looking at the caller ID, she raised the device to her ear.

"Hey! I called you a thousand times…" she started breathlessly.

"Elena," spoke a voice she did not expect to hear. "I'm sorry to bother you this late, but trust me I wouldn't call you if it wasn't urgent."

Elena blinked in puzzlement. "Sheriff Forbes?" Why was Liz calling her? Wasn't she with Caroline? "What's wrong?"

Every time the Sheriff used this voice, bad news usually followed: Elena didn't think she could handle something like an 'animal attack' right now. She just wanted to spend this day in peace and silence. She wanted to eat ice cream and cry while rereading The Hunger Games in her room without any crisis.

"It's about Damon."

At her words, Elena exhaled a deep breath and relaxed a little. But just a little, because maybe it wasn't about an 'animal attack' but it still was about a vampire. A hurt vampire to be exact. She closed her eyes for a moment and wondered what Damon had gotten himself into this time.

"He's at the Grill," Liz continued in a tired voice. _Of course_. "I tried to make him leave, so Matt can finally close the place, but he's very drunk and compelling people to entertain him," Elena's brows shot to her hairline. She knew from experience that Damon being drunk and hurt _at the same time_ was the worst combination. "Please Elena, come here and talk to him. I know he listens to you more than anyone. I promised Caroline I'd spend Christmas with her, but I can't leave while there is underage drinking, not to mention the fact that half of the female residents of Mystic Falls are here, under his compulsion. You're my only hope."

Elena grimaced and looked up. She wasn't so sure about Damon listening to her anymore, considering what happened at the Mikaelson's Ball the night before. If anything, he would do anything just to annoy her to no end. She knew there was little to no chance of getting him to leave the Grill and let those poor people home now he'd got the idea in his head. He was as stubborn as she was.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Elena said after a while. "But I can't promise you anything."

"Thank you, Elena," Liz said in a relieved tone and ended the conversation.

Elena put her phone away in her pocket and stomped into her bedroom, annoyed, to change into warmer clothes. One day. She just wanted to have one day without having to step out of her house and pretend that her life wasn't a giant mess. But of course, he had to go and ruin it. It was what he did best, after all. _Jerk_.

Someone once said that life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. She had discovered she did not like chocolate. If anything, she hated it.

She stopped pretending things would be okay a long time ago.

She put on a warm coat and boots, the chilly weather outside made her reconsider her decision after grabbing her car keys and stepping out of the heated and comfortable house. She wanted nothing more than to relax on the couch while sipping hot cocoa and watching her favorite holiday movies. But she wouldn't let Liz and Matt down on Christmas Eve. She forced herself to sit in her SUV and drive through the small town, which was beautifully illuminated by Christmas lights. The park in the middle of the town was adorned by a huge Christmas tree, which was decorated by volunteers every year. Elena and her family were once part of the decorating squad, but with everyone gone, this tradition died along with many.

She let herself reminisce about the good old times until she reached her destination. She killed the engine and got out of the car, but made no attempt to move towards the entrance of the Grill.

"Okay, let's get this over with," she murmured to herself, preparing her mind for a possible dispute with the blue-eyed vampire. If you can prepare for that at all.

She entered the place with a frown on her face and her steps faltered at the sight that unfolded before her eyes. Her gaze skimmed around the room. Girls in slutty clothes danced on the tabletops, and some even had the nerve to flaunt their bodies like a dollar bill before _her_ Damon, who was sandwiched between a redhead and a blonde, swaying gracefully to the music with an amused expression on his face. Elena knew if it ever came down to it, she could snap the scrawny dancers like a twig.

She was surprised at her aggressive thoughts.

Damon didn't seem to notice her presence or was very good at hiding it because he didn't move an inch to even look at her way. A tension headache was creeping up the back of her neck, but the pain was nothing like the knot of hurt and guilt in her gut. It was all her fault.

"Thank God, you came!" said a relieved tone beside her suddenly, and Elena turned her head to look at a desperate Sheriff Forbes. She looked exhausted and Elena knew she wanted nothing more than to go home to her daughter and spend this night together. It was up to her if she could grant the Sheriff that or not.

Elena smiled at the woman who was practically her second (or third?) mother and placed a reassuring hand on her uniform covered shoulder. "Don't worry, Liz. Caroline would understand if you're a little late."

Elena knew it wouldn't be easy to convince a hurt and drunk vampire to kindly give up fun and booze for the night and call it a day, but she squared her shoulders and faced the man who was constantly haunting her thoughts. But when she caught sight of Matt's face behind the counter, her eyes widened and she stormed to the bar, not bothered by the skanks in her way.

"Oh, Miss Party-Pooper arrived!" Damon's voice spoke up from the dance floor, but her eyes were fixed on her childhood friend.

"Why is he bleeding?" she asked in an accusatory tone, turning to the blue-eyed vampire for a moment before glancing back at the bloody rag Matt was pressing to his nose.

Damon walked up beside her and grabbed a bottle of his favorite drink from behind the counter. "Because he's an idiot."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised a brow at him, looking into his eyes for the first time since this embarrassing morning. "I didn't know that idiocy caused people to just start spontaneously bleeding from the nose." She shook her head and already knew she wouldn't get a proper answer.

He didn't disappoint.

"I think it's a new phenomenon," he shrugged and opened the bottle of bourbon he just stole from the bar.

 _Merry Christmas! Today's forecast includes severe attitude warnings, scattered sarcasm showers, and a strong chance of annoyance later in the night._

He turned his face away from her and took a large gulp of the amber liquid, watching the dancers before him with empty eyes.

She ran her eyes over his profile and tilted her head. Sometimes she looked at him and wondered how he kept it all together. His pain was palpable and echoed within her bones. She wanted to hold him close, but she was afraid his pain would get to her too.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked in a hushed tone more to herself than to him, but he turned his head back to her with narrowed eyes.

"Lots of things. Do you want a list?"

She watched his eyes, dark like a rolling storm, trailing over her form and felt naked beneath his gaze. Only he could provoke such feeling in her with just one gaze.

Finally, he threw his hands up in surrender and sighed. "Alright, I'll apologize for hitting him in the face," Elena was taken aback. Damon never apologized for anything that easily, especially for hitting someone. Something was very wrong. But then Damon continued. "But he's got to apologize for existing," _There it is._

Elena rolled her eyes and turned to Matt with a questioning look.

Matt took the dirty rag away from his face so Elena could hear him better. "All I did was mention you," he shrugged, not fazed by the threatening look the raven haired vampire was shooting his way from the other side of the bar counter. "Guess you're a sore subject."

Elena bit her lip and looked down.

It wasn't just because yesterday she could have been a sore subject with Damon. She knew he was in love with her, and if she was honest with herself, she wasn't exactly indifferent to him either. Yet, she found ways again and again to push him away when his presence became too much for her. Because he scared her. His smile, his eyes. The way his voice made her shiver and the ache she got when he was sad. He made her feel things she wasn't supposed to. And it scared her even more that she didn't want to stop this.

This should have already been enough for her to feel guilty, but so much has happened to her this year and as Stefan said; she had changed and got stronger… tougher. Damn it, she was fed up with people telling her what to do and feel. She wanted to let go and enjoy her life as normal people did without constantly worrying about what her friends would think and how many more ways could they judge her.

But first, she needed to deal with Damon. And for that, she needed a goddamned drink.

She motioned for Matt to prepare her a shot of something stronger than her orange juice this morning and sat beside Damon on a stool who raised an eyebrow at her request. He knew Elena could hold her liquor, but he seriously thought she was going to throw a hissy fit the moment she stepped inside the Grill instead of calmly ordering herself a drink.

The music wasn't too loud and even though Elena's back was to them, the girls shaking themselves on the tables still annoyed her to no end.

"So what brings you here, dear Elena, on this lovely Christmas evening? Aren't you supposed to be with your friends? Or Stefan?" his last words were laced with a deadly combination of anger and sarcasm, making Elena cringe inwardly.

She quickly downed the shot Matt placed before her and turned fully towards Damon. "Actually, my friends are spending this _lovely evening_ with their family, because they still have one," Damon opened his mouth to say something, his eyes suddenly turned apologetic, but Elena continued "And I don't know where Stefan is."

The last part of her little speech made Damon genuinely startled, but he quickly schooled his features and took another sip from the bottle in his hands. "Trouble in Paradise? I thought you two were already joined by the hip and everything was unicorns and rainbows again."

Elena was about to retort, when a sultry redhead walked past them, looking at Damon as if he was a piece of meat before she disappeared into the ladies room. It was a small thing, so insignificant and Damon didn't even notice the girl eyeing him appreciatively. She normally would have overlooked it, but she'd had a long day and her patience has long since snapped.

She abruptly stood up from her seat and barged up to the jukebox with an annoyed expression plastered on her face. She grabbed the wire and unplugged it with a firm movement. The music stopped, but the girls still swayed their bodies to the nonexistent sound of beats, twisting and turning gracefully at the tables.

 _Of course, they are compelled._ Still, she made an attempt to empty the place. "Party is over, people! Go home and enjoy the holidays!"

But as she had expected, no one moved towards the exit. _It was worth a shot_.

"What are you doing?"

She jumped from the voice suddenly appearing behind her and spun around to meet Damon's irritated gaze. His proximity caused a tingling feeling in her body.

"What are _you_ doing?" Elena spread her arms, gesturing to the situation around them.

His usual smirk made its way to his face. "I was having a great day and lots of fun. Then you came along."

Elena huffed and glared at him. "This is not having fun and we both know it," he raised his eyebrow. "It's a distraction."

His eyes flashed up to hers. It was still a quarter past way too early for him to deal with Elena and the pesky emotions she managed to elicit from him every damn time. And after what happened last night, he just didn't have the energy to be nice to her right now. "Maybe it's a little hard for you to understand, but as I told you this morning, not everything is about you, Elena."

He smiled sardonically at her before taking a swing from the bottle in his hands. Elena realized with an agonized expression that it was almost empty, and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She didn't want to remember this morning when she caught sight of the disheveled duo at the front door of the boarding house.

She shook her head in an attempt to get rid of those images and continued with what she came here for in the first place. She lifted her eyes up at Damon, who still had that smile on his face as he regarded her. "Maybe it's not about me but I know you and I know you're having anything but fun," he rolled his eyes and Elena stepped a little closer to him. "You are the master of fake smiles. You once told me that the trick was to squint your eyes a little because people often say fake smiles 'don't reach your eyes', but a slight squint will fool them. You're doing it now."

The amused expression disappeared from his face and a serious one took over. It annoyed him that she could analyze him so well because that meant he couldn't hide his hurt anymore from her. "What? Suddenly you are an expert in expressions?"

 _Just in yours_. She wanted to say but thought better of it. She sighed. "All I'm saying is that you don't need to do this. We can go home and talk about all of this. Sheriff Forbes wants to-"

"We really don't need to talk about anything," he interrupted her and turned away from her.

Elena quickly stepped in front of him before he could take a step towards the bar. "We really do, Damon. We can't ignore what happened yesterday," he made a move to walk past her, ignoring her words, but she didn't let him. She knew, though, that he could have kindly removed her from his presence if he wanted to. "Why weren't you taking my calls?"

Damon smirked. "I thought you would be smart enough to take the hint. Oh well…let's try again. I don't want to talk to you. Is that clear enough?"

Elena sighed. "Running away is never a solution," she countered gently.

"No one is running away, Elena," Damon replied heatedly.

"Not taking my calls, and refusing to talk about what happened, does sound like running to me," she said, placing her hand on her hips in annoyance. Fighting with him was as frustrating as trying to get the last of the toothpaste out of the tube.

"There is nothing to talk about," he said and sped to the bar to open another bottle, leaving Elena in the middle of the Grill all flustered.

She was beyond angry now at him for masking his feelings and pushing her away; even though he had every right to. But she just couldn't handle seeing him like this. She knew when people push you away that's when they need you the most.

She rushed forward and when she reached the bar counter, she took the bottle of bourbon out of his hands before he could take a sip of it. "Will you stop it already?"

"Stop what?" he turned to her, eyes blazing.

"Acting so tough and icing people… _me_ out and crying in the corners of your heart," she placed the bottle on the bar and he looked away from her piercing gaze. "So let me in, you miserable bastard."

She studied his profile, but he didn't turn his head her way, just scoffed. "I already did, and see where it has gotten me."

Elena gasped silently and a remorseful expression painted her face. "I'm so sorry, Damon. I didn't mean it," he scoffed again. "But you didn't let me make my own decision and-"

"Because you can't just keep running off into dangerous situations!" he turned to her this time, his blue eyes burning with fire. He liked the fact that he was somewhat taller than her. Looking down at her eyes was much more intimidating this way, especially when there were only a few inches between their faces. "You're not invincible if you haven't noticed!"

He stood before her like some avenging angel, pulling his righteous anger around himself like armor adorning a knight of old.

Her heart skipped a beat at his protective tone, but she countered back. "You need to stop treating me like a damsel in distress."

"Well, you should stop being one then! I'm not going to stop protecting you because I love-" he stopped before he could finish his sentence, but it was too late. They both knew what he was going to say. His face turned hard and looked away from her searching eyes. He couldn't believe he almost said it again. He cursed himself inwardly for becoming weak in her presence.

If ever there was a time for stirring speeches, that would be it. But after a moment of waiting, it became apparent no one had planned that far ahead.

Elena's eyes softened. "I…" she stammered, her flitting gaze nervously focusing on anything but his stoic face. She gathered her courage and cleared her throat. It was now or never. "I…I think I love you too."

He winced, and sucked a breath in through his teeth. "Don't lie to me. I don't need your pity."

There was so much sadness in his voice that Elena's heart almost broke.

He snatched the bottle off the counter she previously placed there and turning away from her, he started to walk away what she assumed towards one of the compelled girls. She quickly followed him and caught up with him, placing an impatient hand on his chest to stop him and looked at him with wide eyes.

"You really think this is all a lie?" he glanced down at her soft hand on his chest and he couldn't stop the warmth that spread through him at the touch. "I love you. That is the goddamn truth," she said breathlessly and Damon looked away from her intense stare. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He must be so drunk that he was hallucinating the whole thing. Elena continued. "I wish I could give you some clever line, or some great big dramatic speech, but I can't. All I can do is tell you the truth."

He rounded on her, giving her no space to run as he demanded. "Why didn't you just tell me?!"

Elena's throat felt suddenly dry, and as he moved closer he limited her capability to think: she wondered when she first started to feel like this, but she couldn't remember.

"Because I knew it was coming, Damon. I knew it was coming and I never anticipated the impact."

There was a sudden brightness in his blue orbs, and he was devouring her face with his eyes as though searching for anything that would give her away, something that would tell him that what she was saying was all a lie. But she knew he wouldn't find any.

Her voice softened at his expression and she cupped his face in her palms. "When I finally figured out I loved you, I just fell even more. I was drowning in an ocean I could never get out of. I couldn't tell you because it was so overwhelming. I was confused. Your love was never the problem. You are everything I want and more, and it scared me. It scared the hell out of me," she finished with a nervous laugh.

There was a small silence as Elena waited for Damon to say something. He remained silent, his eyes fixated upon her. It was after a moment that it hit him. He understood what she was saying, and his heart sped up at the realization. He couldn't stop his hopes from rising. The desperation in his voice was very evident as he whispered. "That was a pretty great speech."

Elena's eyes danced with happiness because there wasn't sarcasm in his voice for once. He seemed to believe what she was declaring, and that affected him a great deal. Without pausing to think, she closed the remaining distance between their faces and crashed her lips onto his. It was a chaste start, but then he groaned and pulled her even closer. He buried one hand in her hair and held her close with the other. Elena moaned into his mouth. It was as though a dam had burst within her. Her body flooded with heat and she pressed herself to his chest. She tilted her head and deepened the kiss. His groan was the reward that she needed. She urged him with her tongue, almost placing her legs around his waist. He pulled back suddenly and stared at her.

"Elena…"

Annoyed at the loss of his lips, she pulled his mouth down to hers. He surrendered happily enough and sucked her lower lip as his hands moved along her curves.

Elena moaned again, unable to believe all that she was feeling. Her body was on fire and something awakened within her. She felt alive. She had men kiss her before but none could hold a torch to this. It was as though she had never been kissed.

She almost hit Damon when he pulled back again.

"Elena…" he gasped, staring into her eyes.

"What?" she almost screamed.

An amused expression appeared on his face as he placed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "I think we should move this to someplace else," his breath caressed her face and she involuntarily closed her eyes.

She never did like when people would feel butterflies in their stomachs and call it love. She didn't think love was like that at all. Butterflies were so unpredictable. Here one moment, gone next. But that was not what she felt when she thought of him. Her love for him was far from unpredictable because she knew without a doubt that she would always care for him, no matter what.

She opened her eyes with that thought, looking at him with half hooded eyes. She realized that they were still in the Grill with the compelled girls, Matt, and the sheriff. She looked over her shoulder and glanced at Liz, who was smiling at them with warmth in her eyes instead of looking impatient.

"We really need to leave. Sheriff Forbes was supposed to spend this evening with Caroline, and Matt wants to close the place so he could go home," she said, squinting her eyes at Damon. "And you need to un-compel all these girls so they can be on their merry way." She finished sulkily and Damon smirked.

He liked this jealous Elena. At first, he thought he only imagined it, but now it became evident that she was bothered by the girls practically rubbing themselves against him when she walked in the bar. He placed a quick kiss to her lips, still ecstatic from the fact that he could do that whenever he wanted from now on. He went to the tables and freed the women who had entertained him before this night had become the best night of his life.

"Well, girls, I must say it's been fun. You do know how to host a party, but I'm afraid I must be going. Arrivederci!" he waved around the place before he felt Elena's hands on his back, pushing him out of the entrance impatiently.

When they were outside, he started to walk towards his beloved car but Elena's words stopped him.

"Oh, no, no, no. We're going in my car. I'm driving," she crossed her arms and already prepared for his protest.

"What?" a scowl creasing his features.

Elena rolled her eyes. _Bingo_. "You're drunk. You're not allowed to drive. If I wanted to end up in a ditch, I would've jumped into one on the way here."

He scoffed. "That's ridiculous. Even drunk, I'm still a better driver than you, darling."

Elena huffed and Damon was sure she almost stomped her foot. She was cute as hell when she was mad and he just liked seeing her all flustered. But he knew that the moment he caught sight of her doe eyes, he was a lost cause. He couldn't refuse her anything when she looked at him like that.

"Okay, okay," he started walking towards her, surrendering. "But then you will have to be the one who explains to my baby why I cheated on her with this ugly and fat SUV."

She rolled her eyes as they got in the car _. Men and their cars._

They were driving for a while when Elena noticed Damon's hand slowly inching towards her thigh out of the corner of her eye. She tried to ignore it and focus on the road, but when he shifted and turned fully towards her she almost lost control.

She gasped as his fingers finally reached her leg and she bit her lip to stop it from trembling. "Can you please stay still and stop undressing me with your eyes? It's very distracting and I'm trying to drive a freaking car over here!"

Her outburst made him chuckle, but he didn't draw his hand back. Instead, he leaned closer to her and almost whispered. "Turn right."

"What? Damon, we aren't stopping in the middle of nowhere because you can't keep it in your pants."

A heartfelt laugh escaped his lips, but he knew Elena was as much affected by their proximity as he was. But that wasn't why he said it. "Just turn right. Please," his voice softened.

Elena glanced at him for a fleeting moment and opened her mouth to say something, but decided to just comply with his request.

There was a small exit on the right side of the main road, and when they reached the end of it, she turned off the engine. She was still confused as Damon motioned for them to get out of the car. There was nothing in here, except for trees and darkness.

Damon walked towards her and took her hand in his. "I want to show you something," he ran his thumb gently across her hand and pulled her towards him.

She followed him without a question through the woods and the hill they walked up. After minutes, they reached the top and Elena gasped.

The sight of Mystic Fall was beautiful from up here, especially when the whole town was even more lit due to the holiday season. She had never been here, and she had never seen the town like this either.

Damon walked forwards a little more, almost to the edge of the cliff, and motioned for her to join him. She shook her head and he rolled his eyes, dashing towards her with his vampire speed. He grabbed her waist and sped them to his previous location.

She almost cried out loud as she looked down. "I hate heights," she grabbed Damon for dear life. "I hate them so much."

He chuckled. "I've noticed."

Damon dipped her a little bit and she clang onto him even more. "Damn it, Damon, don't do that!" she said angrily. _Jackass_

"Relax, did you really think I'd let you fall?" he smiled, tilting his head and kissing her passionately while still dipping her.

She responded feverishly, clutching the front of his black shirt, both to pull him closer and for fear that she would fall down, though she trusted him completely. She moaned as his hands sought to remark her body, moving around her curves. No one had touched her with the amount of passion as his caresses signified. His lips pulled free of hers and he kissed her jaw, moving down her neck and whispering her name and those three words into her skin. She pulled him up again, and kissed him thoroughly, only coming up for breath when it was completely necessary.

He cupped her face tenderly as they came up for air. Neither of them spoke for a while as he placed a protective arm around her back and turned them both towards the town, happy to maintain a silence.

"This is beautiful, Damon," she said while gazing at her hometown.

"Indeed."

She turned her head towards him but he wasn't looking at the view in front of them. She stared at his eyes, tender and vulnerable, as they gazed into her. He was smiling at her, his real smile that she could only see on rare occasions.

"I love you," she said softly, stepping on her tip toes and wrapping her hands around his neck.

He gulped as he leaned his forehead to hers. He was still having a hard time believing that this whole evening was real. "I love you too."

A smile traced her cheeks and whispered to his mouth. "Merry Christmas, Damon."

 _My best Christmas yet._ He touched her cheek with his thumb and leaned back a little to look into her brown orbs. "Merry Christmas, Elena."

He kissed her nose and she giggled, then a shiver ran through her. Though it could be from the passion between them, Damon knew that this time it was simply because she was probably freezing in the chilly weather. It was time to go _home_.

Damon held out his hand to her. "I've been informed I'm a bad influence. Wanna come along and be corrupted?"

Elena giggled at his antics but took his hand eagerly. "Why, I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

 **If you read it please leave a review, I really, really want to know what you're thinking! I'm not used to writing one-shots, it would really help if I knew how I did with this one :)**

 **Love,**  
 **Niki**


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